The next morning Liliana did everything in her power to slow Cristian down as he got ready for work. She didn't want a repeat of yesterday. She wanted him to not have enough time to go into the barn before he left for work so when he ran out of the house and straight to the car, cursing at her the whole way, she couldn't help but smile as she watched him drive away. As soon as he was gone she threw on an old shirt, overalls and a pair of boots. With a cage in hand she crept into the neighbor's yard and when she saw their truck was gone, she hurried over to their chicken coop. Once she had managed to stuff four of the birds into the cage, she hurried back onto her property and brought them to the shed they used to prepare the animals Cristian brought home from his hunting trips.

-.-.-.-.-

"Heinrich?" Von Krolock jerked awake when he felt a warm hand on his bare shoulder. Out of instinct he grabbed their wrist and almost bit down before he realized it was Liliana.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he quickly released her arm.

"It was my fault," she said. "I don't have much experience dealing with vampires. It never occurred to me that I shouldn't sneak up on one." She smiled to show him she was joking. One corner of Von Krolock's mouth rose slightly but before she could see if it turned into a smile or not, he looked down at the floor.

"No, it's not usually a good idea," he replied. Liliana took note of a hint of humor hidden in the tiredness of his voice.

"I brought you more to eat." Liliana put a large bowl into Von Krolock's hands. "It's chicken this time. And it's fresh." Von Krolock took a sip and sighed as the warm liquid filled his mouth. As he slowly drank the blood, Liliana sat down on the floor beside him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm sitting down."

"Why...?"

"Because I'm tired of standing." Liliana smiled but when she saw the way he was looking at her, the smile quickly disappeared.

"Why are you sitting here next to me?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would be a problem," she said. She tried to stand but Von Krolock grabbed her shoulder.

"No, please stay." She remained sitting beside him and watched quietly as he drank from the bowl she had brought for him. "Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked between sips.

"You're not ugly at all," she said and he stared at her for a moment.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Well, you look absolutely nothing like Nosferatu."

"Nosferatu?"

"Yes," Liliana said with a nod. "He's this awful looking vampire... no hair, really creepy looking, and he has these two terribly long fangs and these insanely long fingers and- What?"

"Where is this other vampire? I've never heard of him..."

"Oh! No," she laughed. "He isn't real. He's a character in a movie from a few years ago." Von Krolock finished his meal and set the bowl down on the floor.

"Movie? What is a movie?" He asked.

"You've never heard of a movie?" Von Krolock shook his head. "They're pictures that are projected onto a large screen but the people in the pictures move."

"Moving pictures?" Von Krolock said with a chuckle. "I find it hard to believe."

"Well I find it hard to believe I'm sitting beside a vampire. Are you going to bite me?" She asked, looking him straight in the eye.

"Are you afraid I'm going to?"

"A little. But you seem so... nice." Von Krolock rested his head against the wall and sighed.

"I'm not nice, Liliana. I'm just a miserable old man."

"Why are you so miserable?" Liliana asked. "Is it because you lost your family?"

"Liliana..." She could tell by the sound of Von Krolock's voice that he was growing irritated with her.

"I'm sorry. Cristian says I talk too much." She forced a laugh but Von Krolock didn't smile.

"I just don't want to discuss my family," he told her.

"You still don't trust me, do you?"

"They are all I have. I have to protect them."

"Does that mean you know where they are?" Von Krolock glanced at her then looked down at his hands.

"Yes, I know precisely where they are." He waited for her to ask him where they were but she never did. Instead she reached over and placed her hand over one of the shackles on his wrists.

"I couldn't find bolt cutters and I'm afraid if I ask someone for help Cris will find out." She carefully slid the iron cuff up to reveal the raw, bruised skin beneath it. "These wounds should be cleaned." Liliana stood and Von Krolock watched as she crossed the room and picked up a bucket he hadn't noticed earlier. She brought it over to him and knelt down beside him.

"What is that?" He asked.

"Soap and water."

Von Krolock cringed and said, "I don't need it."

"But your wounds..."

"I am a vampire," he reminded her. "They won't get infected."

"Well, it'll ease the pain." Liliana pulled a rag from the soapy water and wrung it out a little. She carefully wiped away the dirt from his wrists then moved down to clean beneath the shackles around his ankles. "Lean forward," she instructed. He did as she said and gave a contented sigh when he felt her fingers gently caress over the areas of unbroken skin on his back. "He should be shot," she said barely above a whisper as she stared down at the welts and burns.

"I d-" Von Krolock hissed when Liliana poured a little bit of the water over his back. He waited for the sting to pass before he spoke again. "I deserve it."

"You've done nothing to any of them. They entered your home, brought you here and they are torturing you. You were of no direct threat to them. How can you say you deserve this?" She let some more water run over his wounds then blew on them gently to help take away some of the sting.

"I can't decide if you're naive or if you're just too nice," he muttered as she carefully dried his back with a fresh piece of cloth.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied. "It's certainly nicer than anything Cris has said to me." Von Krolock gave her a sideways glance; she was smiling but there was no happiness in her eyes.

"If you are so unhappy you should leave him," he said. He suppressed a sigh of disappointment when she pulled away from him and sat back against the wall.

"How can I?" She asked sadly. "This is a small village. If I left Cris I'd be forced to move but I have no money. And it's not as if I'd even be able to find another husband. I'm thirty-one, I can't have children, and I am absolutely of no use in the kitchen." They sat quietly for a few minutes listening to the rain as it hit the roof of the barn. "I should have married Ivan instead..." she said softly. Von Krolock sat up straight and looked at her.

"Ivan? He isn't much better than your husband."

"No, he's different than Cris and Peter." Feeling a chill pass through her, Liliana got up and pulled an old blanket from a shelf then sat down beside Von Krolock again. "When he is by himself he can be nice but when he's with them... I don't know..." She spread the blanket, pulling one half over herself and offering the other half to Von Krolock. "You must be cold." The blanket would do nothing to warm him and Von Krolock normally would have declined her offer but instead he took the blanket from her and covered himself with it. They grew quiet again and when, after a while, Liliana slid her hand under the blanket to take hold of Von Krolock's hand, he tensed slightly. "I'm going to find a way to get you out of here," she said sleepily. Moments later he felt her head rest on his shoulder as she drifted off to sleep.

Von Krolock looked down at her as she slept. Due to their position all he could see of her face was the side of one pale cheek, which was dusted with a few freckles. Her curly blonde hair was cut just below her ear and the entire length of her neck was visible to him. As he stared at it, the familiar feeling of hunger coursed through him along with an urge he hadn't felt in a long time. His fangs pushed against his lips as they slowly extended. He shifted his position slightly, being careful not to wake Liliana, and lowered his face toward her neck. She smelled so sweet it made his mouth water. It had been so long since he had bitten anyone. Thirty long years since he had bitten... He raised his head quickly; leaning back against the wall again he closed his eyes. He wouldn't do it again. He couldn't. Not to Liliana. Not after what he had done to Anneliese.

-.-.-.-.-

"Heinrich," Liliana said with a yawn. His head was resting heavily on hers and she couldn't move. "Heinrich?"

"Hmm?"

"You have to wake up and move so I can leave. Cris will be home soon." Von Krolock sat up so Liliana could move and watched as she put the blanket away and collected the bowl, bucket and lantern. "I hate leaving you here," she said softly as she stood in the doorway and looked at him.

"I will be fine," he assured her but it did nothing to relieve her worry.

"He's going to end up killing you."

"It's alright." Von Krolock offered a weak smile but it only made Liliana frown.

"No, it's not alright," she said.

"Go on, Lili. I don't want your husband to find you in here." Liliana smiled a little.

"No one ever called me that before." She looked down at the floor and blushed. "I like it."

"Go back to the house, Lili," he said gently. She gave him one last look then left the barn. No more than ten minutes after she got into the house and started preparing dinner she heard Cristian's car pull up. She watched through the window and her heart sank when she saw Cristian, Ivan and Peter at the water pump filling buckets, which they brought into the barn.

-.-.-.-.-

Peter and Ivan pushed the metal tub into the small room where they were holding Von Krolock. While they filled it with water from the buckets, Cristian noticed that Von Krolock was watching them. "I think it's about time you've had a bath," he said with a chuckle. Once the tub was full, he moved toward Von Krolock and when the vampire bared his fangs, he pulled a small cross from his pocket and held it out in front of him. Von Krolock ducked away from it and seconds later he felt himself being dragged by his arms toward the tub. Peter and Ivan placed him beside it then wrapped a rope tightly around him, binding his arms against his body.

"We know there were other vampires living with you," Cristian said as he knelt down beside him. "Where are they?"

"I've already said I am not going to tell you," Von Krolock growled. As soon as he said it, Cristian grabbed his hair and forced his head into the water. Unprepared for this, he breathed in some water and he struggled against Cristian's hand an in effort to escape as the water burned his lungs. He couldn't move his arms so he tried to push away with his legs but Peter and Ivan held him in place, leaning their full weight against him. Eventually Cristian finally pulled his head from the water and Von Krolock coughed violently, forcing the cold water out of his lungs.

"Tell me where they are!" Cristian demanded.

"I will never-" He was pushed under again and this time he swallowed a mouthful of water. His stomach tightened and when he was pulled from the water, he leaned to the side and vomited.

"Where... are... they?" Cristian whispered. His fingers were knotted in Von Krolock's long hair and when he tightened his grip, Von Krolock flinched.

"Fuck you..." Von Krolock plunged into the water a third time. He had managed to take a breath before he hit the water and as he was held in place, a few tiny bubbles escaped from his nose as he struggled to keep it in. He was held under for longer this time and just as his lungs began to ache he was pulled back up. The second he reached air, he exhaled and took another deep breath.

"If you tell us," Ivan said, now standing on the opposite side of the tub, "we will stop this right now."

"And then you'll kill me," Von Krolock added, his voice raspy as he gasped for more air.

"You're going to die either way, you bastard." Peter splashed a handful of water into Von Krolock's face. "Might as well get it over with, don't you think?" Von Krolock glared up at him. He tried to speak but before he could, Cristian pushed him under the water again but this time he pulled him back out immediately.

"Come on, Von Krolock," Ivan said. "Just tell us where they went. You can't say that you would rather continue living like this."

"What about you?" Von Krolock asked him. "Is this how you want to live? Being controlled by someone else, always being told what to do? What would your mother think?" Ivan leaned over the tub so that he was face to face with Von Krolock.

"Shut up!" he snapped. "You know nothing about me or my family."

"You should be more grateful to even be alive." Von Krolock spoke barely above a whisper as he stared into the other man's eyes. Ivan grabbed a handful of his hair and slammed his head against the side of the tub before pushing him under the water. He struggled for a moment; the water around him became cloudy and just as his vision began to fade he was pulled out of the water. He could feel something dripping down his forehead-something thicker than the water-and as it dripped into his eyes he realized he was bleeding.

Cristian let Von Krolock fall and he blacked out for a moment when the back of his head hit the cement floor. When he regained consciousness Cristian was straddling his waist and leaning over him, holding the silver razor. Von Krolock tried to move, ignoring the pain as the ropes bit into his skin, in an attempt to push Cristian off of him but Peter sat down on his legs and Ivan held his head down by grabbing his hair.

"You're quite feisty tonight," Cristian sneered. "It seems as though cats and rats are too good for you."

"Bring him a little frog tomorrow," Peter suggested and the three of them laughed.

"What should we do with him?" Cristian asked. "What can we do to make this vampire talk?"

"I will ne-" Von Krolock gasped when Cristian placed the side of the razor against his chest causing the skin beneath it to blister.

"Hey Cris, what about his hair?" Ivan held out a handful of Von Krolock's long hair.

"What are you, a fucking queer?" Cristian grabbed his hair and held the razor against it, close to Von Krolock's head. "We'll have to change that, won't we?" He pressed the blade against the strands of hair but before he could cut through, Von Krolock spat in his face. Clenching his fist around the razor's handle he swung at Von Krolock, leaving him with a blood nose. "You son of a bitch," he muttered as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "You'll pay for that!"

He brought the razor down to Von Krolock's chest again and Von Krolock closed his eyes against the pain. As the blade sliced through his skin the silver burned it causing tendrils of smoke to rise and flecks of blood to splatter from the wounds. He made numerous haphazard cuts, slicing at his chest blindly while he stared at Von Krolock's face, which was twisted in agony.

"I swear to God," Cristian muttered through clenched teeth as he continued to assault Von Krolock, cutting at his shoulders, neck and arms as well as his chest, "if you don't tell me where the other vampires are tonight I'm going to come back tomorrow and kill you slowly and painfully. First I will cut your fucking arms off!" He thrust the blade deep into Von Krolock's bicep and Von Krolock screamed. He struggled against the rope and chains that bound him but with the men on top of him, he couldn't move. "And then I'll cut your legs off!" He pulled the blade from the vampire's arm then brought it down hard into his thigh. He pulled the blade out then held it to Von Krolock's face. Bending over close to him he whispered, "You'll be begging me to kill you long before I have finished."

Liliana stood on her back porch with tears streaming down her face. She could hear Von Krolock screaming all the way across their large yard and it frightened her to think of what they were doing to him. She glanced around at the neighbors' houses and saw that all of their shutters were closed for the evening. They could hear everything, she was sure of it, but they wouldn't do anything about it. She had learned quickly after marrying Cristian that no matter what the neighbors heard they simply ignored it, minding their own business. She knew if Von Krolock was to be saved, she had to do it herself but she was at a total loss as to what she could do.